Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Leon Valley council adopts resolution to stop unlimited free post-pickup brush collection; unpaid invoices to become property liens
Summary
Council voted to replace a temporary unlimited post-bulk-pickup practice with a policy that instructs Tiger Sanitation to collect excess brush at the homeowner’s cost; if a homeowner does not pay, the city will pay Tiger and place a lien on the property to recover costs.
The City Council voted Nov. 4 to replace the previous practice of unlimited free pickup of excess brush after the semiannual bulk collection with a new resolution that formalizes a cost-recovery process.
Under the resolution as adopted, Tiger Sanitation will pick up brush that exceeds the eight-cubic-yard base but will invoice the homeowner directly; if the homeowner does not pay, the city will pay the Tiger invoice and then place a lien on the property to recover the cost. City staff said Tiger currently charges roughly $25 per additional yard for bulk collection.
City Manager Dr. Caldera described the background: the council originally approved an unlimited pickup policy as a temporary COVID-era measure and tied the practice to the contract cycle for the city’s contractor. When the solid-waste committee later declined to add unlimited bulk pickup as a contract item, the city retained the base service but continued to provide ad hoc pickups. Staff presented cost figures showing the city absorbed about $4,000 in staff costs in 2024 and about $8,000 in 2025 when ad-hoc collection numbers rose.
Council discussion addressed enforcement and fairness. Several council members said the cleanest method is to have the private contractor pick up and bill the resident and for the city to place a lien only if the bill is unpaid. Others urged an educational push explaining the 8-cubic-yard standard and ways residents can split or cut brush to meet the limit.
Councilor Roscoe moved, and Councilor Mersch seconded, to approve the resolution as presented; the motion carried. Staff said they will update postcards and e-news to inform residents about the change prior to the next bulk pickup.
What changed: the city moves from an informal practice of city staff or city crews handling some overage to a contractor-invoiced, city-liens-as-backstop approach; enforcement and outreach plans will accompany the policy change.
